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Colorado Disability Benefits

Colorado Disability Benefits

 

Understanding Colorado Disability through the Eyes of the DDS

What is the DDS? It’s the Disability Determination Services. Every state has one. But if you’re a resident in Colorado, it would be prudent to know what your specific office in the state does and why.

The Details of the DDS

While CO disability laws essentially operate out of federal origins through the Social Security Administration, it’s actually law written by Congress that a disability decision must be made by the appropriate state agency and not any office in the federal government.

That simply means the state of Colorado has jurisdiction over which individuals should be awarded Colorado disability benefits, and which individuals shouldn’t.

It’s important, however, to know that the DDS doesn’t have anything to do with these factors of Colorado disability:

1. The Application Process for CO Disability Law

2. Eligibility Determination for CO Disability Law

3. Benefit Calculation for CO Disability Law

Those are factors of CO disability determined by the federal government.

The Basic Truth About Colorado Disability

Evaluations for Colorado disabilities are strict; but they have to be. Basically, the DDS gathers the evidence from your application and makes a determination based on the Social Security Disability criteria for Colorado disabilities provided by the federal government. The keyword hinging on approval or denial is “long-term.”

To elaborate, “long-term” Colorado disability. If it’s a condition that’s only short-term or temporary, chances are the claim will be denied if the Colorado disabilities fit only the short-term characteristic.

The DDS will assume that there are other services or benefits dealing with short-term Colorado disabilities, such as:

1. Workers’ Compensation

2. Insurance

3. Savings

So, I repeat: they take into very serious consideration on whether or not the claim is about a long-term disability.

The Basic Requirements for Colorado Disabilities Criteria

They determine that by following this Social Security criterion:

1. Claimant Is Unable to Do Prior Work Due to Disability

2. No Other Work Is Available Due to Disability

3. Disability Will Last for at Least a Year or Until Claimant Is Deceased

There are no exceptions. All three criteria must be met. If not, the claim is probably denied.

The Process of Application

It’s actually quite easy:

1. Apply in Person or by Telephone

2. Send Signed Forms Back to Claims Representative

3. Social Security Sends File to the DDS

4. Evaluation Begins, Determination Begins

5. The DDS Then Sends Their Decision Back to the SSA

6. The SSA Contacts You About the Decision

During this process, you may see that the DDS can require any of these from you as well:

1. Maintain Communication With You and All Medical Sources

2. Contact People Who Know of Your Condition and Daily Life

3. Answer Questions About the Medical Information Present in Your File

4. Require You to Assist the DDS in Obtaining Medical Evidence for Your File

5. Ask You to Attend any Certain Medical Exam at the Expense of the DDS

6. Discuss the Claim with You on a Regular Basis

The DDS, however, cannot do any of these:

1. Discuss Your Claim With Anyone Else But You or Your Representative

2. Discuss Your Potential Eligibility or Disability Payments

Basically, the DDS by law is not allowed to discuss those matters. Only the Social Security Administration can.

 

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